Suppository-machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. G. WOOD & F. E. HOWARTH.

SUPPOSITORY MACHINE.

Patented 0013.6, 1891.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

ALLEN G. lVOOD AND FREDRIOK E. I-IOWVARTH, OF UTICA, NE YORK.

SUPPQSITORY-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,620, dated October 6, 1891.

Application filed November 10, 1890. Serial No. 370,887. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ALLEN G. lVOOD and FREDRIOK E. HOWARTH, citizens of the United States, and residents of Utioa, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Suppositories, Tablets, &c.;

and we do hereby declare the following to be through a system of levers.

The invention further consists in a novel construction of mold or former for manufacturing tablets adapted to be connected with the cylinder for containing the material and it also consists in certain other novel features in the arrangement and construction of parts,

all as hereinafter explained.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the machine, the compression cylinder and plunger being shown in section. Fig. 2 is an end view of the machine. Fig. 3 is a side View of the rackbar and levers for operating the same. Fig. 4 is a front view of one of the removable molds or formers for making suppositories. Fig. 5 is a side View of the same. Fig. 6 is a front View of the attaching-mold for forming triturate tablets. Fig. 7 is a side View of the device shown in Fig. 6 and also a rear end view. Fig. 8 is a side View of a plate provided with studs corresponding to the molds in the attachment, and is designed for use in ejecting the tablets from the mold-plate when raised. Fig. 9 is a front end view of another form of attaching or removable mold, in which the material is forced out-in cylindrical form of any desired length and cut by means 'of a spatula-or knife. Fig. 10 is a side view and arear end view of the device shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a sectional view of a mold attachment operating in substantially the same manner as that shown in Figs. 6 and 7, but having the ejector shown in Fig. 8 a part of the same and working within a casing. Fig. 12 is a front end view of the device shown in Fig. 11, showing the scraping-blade. Fig. 13 represents a face View of the head of the attaching-mold, showing the stationary blade for automatically scraping the mold-plate rigidly secured thereto, the pivoted moldplate being removed.

The machine by which the material is compressed comprises the supporting-base A, adapted to be securely fastened to any suitable solid structure, an elevated portion or side frame B at its rear end, to which the main operating hand-lever O is secured, and

' a cylinder mounted on said frame or base A,

having a plunger operating therein by means of suitable levers connected to the mainhandlever O.

The baseA is preferably formed having, in addition to the main side frame B, a smaller side frame or bed plate D, made integral therewith, the said bed-plate D forming a bearing for one of the broken levers. The main body or frame casting being thus constructed, it is provided with the operating parts of the machine.

The barrel or compression cylinder E, in which the material is subjected to pressure, is mounted on the base A and extends longitudinally on said base between the end piece F and the bearing oifered by the ends of the side frames B and D. Within the compressionbarrel E thus secured tothe base A is provided a plunger G, operated by a ratchet-bar H, secured thereto and extending between the side frames of the casting.

As the main essential of a machine of this nature is a great degree of compression, the invention primarily consists in the arrangement and combination of levers, such as shown, and will be described as follows.

The hand-lever O, pivotally secured to the side frame B, is of a length equal to that of the entire machine, and is provided at its bearing end with a circular portion I, to which portion is pivotally secured, at point below the center, a short pitman or link-arm J. This link arm J which has imparted thereto a short reciprocating motion by the movement of the hand-lever C, operates upon the toggle-lever K at its joint. One end of the toggle is secured to the side frame D, while the other end, which is provided with a toe L, engages the teeth of the ratchetbar and operates against the resistance offered by the material in the compression-barrel. It will be seen that on raising the hand-lever C all the levers will be raised and the toe L will be drawn backward away from the tooth against which it has pressed, and engage the next tooth, and 011 the depression of the lever O the link arm J will act to straighten the toggle by depressing it at the joint, and in so doing the plunger is forced farther in the cylinder against the material therein. The material thus acted upon is left in a very compact state, and in order to bring it into the desired form for suppositories and tablets several attaching-molds have been provided and may be used as required on the machine. For this purpose the end of the compressioncylinder E is internally screw-threaded to receive the screw-threaded end of the removable molds.

The mold shown in Figs. 4c and 5 is designed more especially for suppositories, and consists of a head a,adapted to be attached to the end of the cylinder, having an opening I) formed therein, the said opening being so enlarged as to form a mold near its outer end. Over this mold is pivotally secured to the head a a disk of metal 0, provided with a handle (I, by which it is raised to freely disclose the mold and lowered to its normal position to form the end of the mold. The shape of the mold is shown in dotted lines, and when the material is compressed therein to the proper degree of compactness, which is ascertained by the material oozing through the minute hole 6 in the cover, the cover is raised,and by operating the lever O the suppository will be forced from the mold. This attaching-mold, we are aware, is not new, and our invention in this line more especially consists in the attaching-mold forunaking tablets, as shown in Figs. 6, 7, 11, and 12. In the device shown in Figs. 6 and 7, which isasimple form, the head a is provided with a number of tubes or d ucts f. The slide 0 (shown in Figs. 4: and 5 as a cover to the mold) in the present instance forms the mold-plate g, being provided with holes to correspond with those in the tubes f, and is operated in the same manner as that above described, but between the head a and the rigid plate h, which forms the back of the mold in this case. When the molds are filled, the handle is raised and the tablet ejected from the molds by means of the ejector j, (shown in Fig. 8,) which comprises a plate having studs to correspond in size, number, and location to the molds in the plate g.

The most complete and preferable form of device for making the tablets is shown in Figs. 11 and 12, in which the end plate h (shown in Figs. 6 and 7) is dispensed with, and the n 1 trimme 7 ejector is combined with the handled mold to serve the function of the said plate h, to gether with its original one. In this constructi on of attaching-mold the head a is similar to that shown in other figures of the drawings, being screw-threaded and adapted to be secured to the compression-cylinder, and may be either provided with one central passage or several smaller ones, by which the compressed material is conducted to the molds in the mold-plate g. This mold-plate g is pivotally secured to the head a at one side and provided with a slot, which engages the screw diametrically opposite the pivot-screw, and serves to hold the mold-plate securely against the head, while permitting it to be readily swung back to eject therefrom the tablets.

The ejector j in the presentinstanceis combined with the mold-plate g and operates thereon by means of a push-button. The ejector is mounted within a suitable opensided casin g 75, which is rigidly secured to the outer surface of the mold-plate gby means of screws. Through an opening in the top of the casing the rod m extends, connecting the ejector with the push-button Z. By means of the casing the ejector is permitted to operate back and forth within certain limits, permitting the studs 0 to enter the molds in the plate 9 and to be withdrawn only partially therefrom to form abacking to the molds, and thereby serve the function of the plate 71.. (Shown in Figs. 6 and 7.)

To the head a is secured an automatic scraping-blade n. This blade 07., as will be seen by reference to Figs. 12 and 13, is rigidly secured to the head a and extends out to one side of the device in the direction of the swing of the mold-plate, and engages the inner surface of said mold-plate as it is swung back on its pivot, to permit the tablets to be ejected, as shown in dotted lines in the drawings, and in this operation and in the returning of the mold-plate g back to its normal position, the surface will be automatically scraped and any particles or tablets which may adhere to the surface will be scraped off.

The mold shown in Figs. 9 and 10 is adapted for the purpose of making cylindrical pieces of the material of any desired length, the grooved extensiolrpiecei being designed to support the cylinder as it is discharged and allow a predetermined length to be cut off by a spatula or knife.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is

1. The machine of the character described, comprising a compressionbarrel having a plunger therein, a ratchet-bar secured to the plunger, and a toggle-lever secured to the main frame, adapted to engage the teeth of said ratchet-bar and operated by a hand-lever through a link-arm, substantially as specified.

2. In a machine of the character described, the removable mold attachment consisting of the head adapted to be attached to the cylinder, provided with one or more openings therethrough, and a handled plate having the molds therein pivotally secured to the head between the said head and an end plate, substantially as described, whereby the said mold-plate is adapted to be raised in order to eject therefrom the tablets.

3. In a machine of the character described, the removable mold consisting of the head adapted to be attached to the cylinder, provided with one or more openings therethrough, and ahandled plate having the mold or molds therein pivotally secured to' the head and adapted to be raised, and having an ejector, substantially as described, secured to the same Within a casing and operated by a push- 

